AFCA Proposes 4 Major Changes to College Football Calendar

The American Football Coaches Association announced a proposal recommending adjustments to the college football calendar designed to conclude the season by the second Monday in January while advocating for broader access to the College Football Playoff. The governing board outlined four primary changes in its presentation on Tuesday.

The AFCA is suggesting the elimination of conference championship games, a reduction of open weeks in the regular season from two to one, and the preservation of a specific window for the Army-Navy game in December while allowing postseason contests to be played on that same date. Another recommended modification is reducing the minimum number of days between games to no fewer than six.

These proposals are described by the AFCA as a response to the extended season resulting from the 12-team CFP format and the ongoing discussions about future playoff expansion models. The association noted that the most recent CFP championship matchup between Indiana and Miami took place on January 19. Upcoming title games are planned for January 25, 2027, and January 24, 2028.

In a statement, the AFCA emphasized that the new structure would “better support student-athletes by more closely matching the academic calendar and aligning with the single transfer portal window.” The group further stated that such changes would “elevate the quality of play during the most meaningful stretch of the season by removing unnecessary breaks and preserving competitive rhythm.”

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Craig Bohl, the AFCA executive director, explained to ESPN that the board favors further playoff expansion, though it has not endorsed a specific number of teams. He acknowledged ongoing discussions about both 16- and 24-team postseason configurations among league commissioners.

Bohl commented on the complexities involved in staging a 24-team playoff that ends early in January but said it remains numerically achievable. He added that previous efforts have centered around maintaining quarterfinals on New Year’s Day, a tradition associated with viewership value.

“We’d like to have more access,” Bohl said. “Whatever that number is, the powers that be should find that. I do know some coaches supported 24. We just didn’t discuss that a great deal. But we felt like change is needed.”

Bohl explained that the narrow transfer portal window, active from January 2 to January 16, strongly motivates the push to complete the season earlier. He said ensuring players have a chance to join new programs sooner contributes to the reasoning for the proposed timeline.

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The AFCA also cited the extended downtime between postseason contests as an area of concern raised by multiple coaches, including Oregon’s Dan Lanning. Indiana, the national champion, went 27 days between the Big Ten championship game and the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl, then waited another 10 days before meeting Oregon in the semifinals.

“Every university is striving for more revenue, and so this potential plan would certainly need to secure revenue,” Bohl said. “But players want the ability to, if they want to transfer, to get to their new school and start as early as they can, to get acclimated to school, with coaches. We just saw it being problematic if your playoffs run real deep, so we feel like from a student-athletes’ perspective and the mentality of developing your squad, we would be better served by having the season end earlier.”

One of the most substantial elements among the four proposals is the recommendation to eliminate conference title games while beginning the regular season one week earlier than usual. According to the AFCA, league championship contests have been staged since 1992 for the SEC, 1996 for the Big 12 with a break between 2011 and 2016, 2005 for the ACC, and 2011 for the Big Ten.

“We just think that conference championship games have kind of run their course, so why are we playing them?” Bohl said, emphasizing the board’s stance on reconsidering those matchups.

Although the AFCA itself does not possess authority to create or enforce the official calendar, Bohl explained that board members represent diverse coaching backgrounds and multiple conferences, giving the recommendations weight within the broader discussion.

“Certainly they represent their conference, but they’re trying to do what’s best for college football,” he said. “We believe it’s going to spur some more dialogue and conversation about: Can we make improvement?”

The AFCA intends for these suggested revisions to encourage feedback and further discussions across institutional and conference leadership circles, according to Bohl. He added that ongoing dialogue with key college football stakeholders remains central to the initiative’s next steps.

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